


Shake It Out

by tabbytabbytabby



Series: Laura Hale Appreciation Week 2018 [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Diners, Flirting, Getting Together, M/M, Mentioned Stiles Stilinski, Minor Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Laura, Pining Laura, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 17:23:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16100297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Laura works in her family's diner in the middle of a small town. She knows everyone that comes in down to what they like to order. Everything is perfectly normal and routine. Until one day when a redhead walks in and turns that all upside down.





	Shake It Out

**Author's Note:**

> For day 3 of Laura Hale Apprecation Week: Femslash  
> [Accompanying aesthetic](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/post/178466770763/shake-it-out-fic-and-aesthetic-for-day-3-of)

The chime of the door opening sounds throughout the diner. Laura doesn’t look away from the coffee she’s making for Mrs. Melvin as she calls out to the new guest. “Take a seat anywhere. I’ll be right with you.”

She doesn’t know why she bothers. Everyone that comes here are regulars. This place isn’t exactly located on a map anywhere, and people usually prefer to breeze through small towns these days.

Except the voice that answers isn’t familiar, “Thank you.”

Laura turns her head slightly, her eyes finding the figure as she moves across the room to a booth in the corner. Laura has definitely never seen her before. She can tell that much, even if she’s only seen her back. It’s not even the red hair, that isn’t exactly common around here, but more the way she holds herself. Most people are relaxed, even when they’re in a hurry. She seems tense, her posture so straight that Laura has a brief image of those girls in movies having to balance books on their heads.

“You know instead of staring you could go take her order,” Derek says from behind her.

Laura jumps and almost spills the coffee she’s holding, and turns to glare at her brother, “I wasn’t staring.”

“Sure you weren’t,” Derek says, smirking at her. He takes the coffee from her hands, along with the tray of food their father just placed in the window. “I’ll get these to Mrs. Melvin. You go greet our new customer.”

Laura is tempted to argue, but she knows Derek is right. They both have work to do. So she grabs her notepad and walks over to the table. She plans to be smooth and make small talk or something, figure out who this stranger is. Then the woman turns her head as Laura approaches and Laura is momentarily stunned speechless.

Laura shakes herself out of it. She’s been working in the restaurant for years. She knows how to talk to people. A pretty face shouldn’t stop her from doing her job, “Hi there, I’m Laura. I’m going to be taking care of you today. Can I get you started with something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?”

The woman studies the menu again for a moment before turning back to Laura with a smile, “I think I’ll have a strawberry shake. See if the rumor about them being the best in the county is true.”

“Have you tried other shakes in the county?” Laura asks, leaning against the booth across from her.

The woman shakes her head, “I haven’t. But I love milkshakes. It won’t take long to decide if it’s really that good.”

“Oh they are,” Laura says. “My mother makes them herself and they’re her specialty.”

“And what’s your specialty?” the woman asks, leaning her arms on the table and bringing herself closer to Laura.

“Tell me your name and maybe I’ll tell you,” Laura says, the nervousness she’d been feeling before leaving her.

The woman sits back with a smirk, “Maybe I’ll see how that milkshake tastes first.”

Laura grins, “Well then I look forward to figuring it out, Red. Can I get you anything else?”

Laura tries not to squirm as the woman’s eyes look her over, before meeting her gaze again. “I might think of something. But just the milkshake for now.”

Laura nods and moves to walk away when the woman calls her back, “Maybe some fries? Please?”

“You got it.”

Derek, Cora, and Peter are standing huddled together, snickering, when Laura walks back up to the counter. Laura rolls her eyes and walks to the window so she can see into the back where her parents are, “I need an order of fries and a strawberry milkshake.”

“A milkshake?” her mother asks. “It’s not even noon.”

“Apparently rumors are spreading and someone wants to try one,” Laura says. “You better make it your best.”

“I’m offended that you don’t think I always do that,” Talia says.

“Better than your best then,” Laura tells her.

She leans against the counter and turns to face her still smirking siblings and uncle, “What is up with you?”

“What’s up with _you_?” Cora says. “And the pretty redhead.”

“What? Nothing!”

“Uh huh. Sure. Your face was weird when you were talking to her,” Derek says. “Something was going on.”

“I was just talking to her,” Laura says, making sure to keep her voice low. “Make sure she feels welcome.”

“Looked to me like you were flirting,” Peter says.

“How would you know what someone flirting looks like?” Laura asks. “Not as if you’ve ever experienced it.”

Peter rolls his eyes, “I’ve had plenty of people interested in me, thank you. I just happen to keep my personal life private.”

“Thank god,” Cora says, “No one needs to hear about that.”

Laura shakes her head and goes to walk back around the counter. “Where are you going?” Cora calls after her.

“To do my job,” Laura says. “Someone has to.”

“She’s right,” Talia says, placing food on the counter and giving the other three each a long look. “Get to work. All of you.”

Laura grins and makes her way over to Mrs. Melvin’s table, “Everything okay here, Mrs. Melvin?”

Mrs. Melvin looks up from her book with a smile, “Oh yes, dear. I’m just finishing up my coffee. And I think I’ll take a piece of that apple pie I just saw your mother put out.”

Laura nods, and grabs the plate off the table, “I’ll have that right out.”

She brings the plate up to the counter and places it with the other dishes before turning to Derek, “Can you…”

“Get Mrs. Melvin her usual piece of pie?” Derek asks, already grabbing a plate from the cabinet.

“Yep, apple as usual.”

Derek shakes his head, “I swear, things never change around here.”

Laura looks over at where the redhead is still sitting, a book held up in her hands, “Some things do.”

“She’s pretty,” Derek says. He does it casually but Laura knows him well enough to know he doesn’t just drop comments like that.

Laura herself needs to be casual, unless she wants her family getting even more involved in her business, “I guess so.”

She doesn’t wait for a response, instead grabs the shake and fries her Mom hands her and then heads over to the table. The woman looks up from her book and smiles when she sees Laura, putting the book down in the seat next to her.

“Well, that does look amazing,” she says eyeing the shake and fries as Laura sets them down. “Now to see if it really is the best.”

Laura resumes her earlier position of leaning against the booth, “I assure you it is.”

“Have you tasted it?” the redhead asks, taking her straw out of her wrapper and putting it in the glass.

“Well no,” Laura says, “Not this one. But I’ve had plenty and they are as amazing as everyone says.”

“Well I guess we’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

She brings the drink up, her cherry red lips fitting around the straw. Her eyes stay on Laura’s as she take a sip. Laura holds eye contact under her unwavering gaze, even when she puts the drink back down. Her face is unreadable, no sign visible of whether she liked the drink or not. Which is incredibly frustrating for Laura since she needs to know.

“Well?” Laura asks, trying not to show how much she cares.

From the knowing smile the redhead sends her she must not do a very good job, “I’ll have to do further research and get back to you.”

“Of course,” Laura says, pushing off the booth. “I’ll leave you to it then. Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you, Laura,” the woman says.

“Anytime _Red_.”

Laura goes back to work and leaves the redhead to her shake and fries. Her mother calls her to the back to help with something and when she returns the woman is gone. She tries not to feel disappointed. It’s not as if she expected anything to happen. It’d just been harmless flirting, but she’d still been hoping for at least a name.

She sighs and goes over to the table and starts cleaning the plates away. Her movements stop when she notices the receipt sitting in the middle of the table along with a far too generous tip. She pockets the cash, and looks down at the receipt and smiles at the words she sees written on it:

_My name is Lydia <3_

She puts the receipt in her pocket and goes back to work, forgetting about the encounter as the day goes on. It’s not until she’s home for the night and emptying her pockets to count her tips that she sees the receipt. She stares at it a moment, wondering what she should do with it or if she should even keep it. She knows she’s not going to see the woman, _Lydia_ , again. She’s probably well on her way to her next destination by now.

Something still makes her go to her bookcase and grab her own copy of ‘ _What Happened To Goodbye?_ ’ off the shelf. It’s the book she saw Lydia reading, and had been hoping to talk to her about, but never had the chance. But at least she has this. She sticks the receipt in the front of the book and closes it. When she goes to put it back, she hesitates. It’s been a while since she read the book and it was one of her favorites….

She winds up staying up later than she should reading, something she regrets when her alarm goes off at 5 a.m. letting her know it’s time to get up and get the work day started. Her mother gives her a knowing look when she walks into work an hour later, “Were you up reading late again?”

“No, of course not,” Laura says, grabbing her apron from the hanger behind the counter. “I just didn’t sleep well.”

“Too busy thinking about _Lydia_ ,” Derek teases.

Laura shoots him a betrayed look, “How did you know that?”

“That you were thinking of her? Maybe because you…”

“No, not that. Her name, Derek,” Laura clarifies.

“I wasn’t aware it was a secret,” Derek shrugs, “She told me.”

Laura stares at him for a moment, trying to ignore the lump forming in her throat. Of course she hadn’t wanted to tell Laura her name, because she’d been interested in Derek all along. Which is fine. Derek is amazing. He’s the best brother she could ever ask for. She’d do anything for him, including step aside and let him be happy. Not that Lydia is even here anymore, but if she was Laura knows she’d still do the same.

“Good,” Laura says, “I’m glad. I should get to the back and see if Dad needs help with anything.”

She leaves before he has a chance to stay anything, and takes a moment in the hall to take a few deep breaths. When she walks into the kitchen her Dad is there getting everything set up and ready for breakfast.

“Hey Dad, need help with anything?” she asks, moving across the room towards him.

He looks over at her and smiles, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he takes her in. “You were up late reading again, weren’t you?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Laura asks, moving over to the mirror behind the sink. “Do I really look that bad?”

“No, but you always have this slightly dazed look on your face when you’re up late reading,” her father says. “Or does it have something to do with that girl you were talking to yesterday.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Laura says, “Not that it matters. She’s gone and besides she…”

“She’s not gone,” Peter says, surprising Laura when he steps out of the freezer. Why he was there, she doesn’t question.

“What are you talking about?”

“She’s staying,” Peter shrugs, “I heard her asking Derek about places that are hiring. You must have made some impression.”

Laura looks out the window leading to the front of the diner and sees Derek there, laughing at something Cora has said. “It wasn’t me.”

Lydia comes by later that day and Laura takes her break, not wanting to risk making a fool of herself. Derek can wait on her. It’ll give them time to talk and get to know each other. She helps her father out cooking for the lunch rush for a bit after her break, and by the time she comes back out Lydia is gone. She tries not to feel relieved.

Derek frowns when he sees her, “Where have you been hiding?”

“I was on break and then helping Dad,” Laura says, shrugging as if it’s no big deal. It really shouldn’t be.

Derek looks like he wants to argue but instead just shakes his head and goes back to wiping down the table, “Lydia says hi, by the way. She was hoping to see you.”

“Huh,” Laura says. “I didn’t realize she was here. So, what do you need me to do?”

“The coffee needs remade,” Derek tells her, “and you make it better than the rest of us so can you do that? Please?”

Laura laughs and ruffles his hair, “You got it little brother.”

Lydia comes by the next day for breakfast, and this time Laura stays. She’s tempted to flee again but Lydia waves and smiles when she sees Laura and comes to sit right at the counter. It’d look more than a little suspicious if she took off running to the back now. So she puts on a smile and walks up to the counter, “Morning Lydia.”

“Morning,” Lydia says, an amused twinkle in her eye as she smiles at her. “So you did get my note then.”

“I did,” Laura says. “Though Derek easily could have told me, since you told him.”

Lydia’s brow furrows, “I didn’t…”

“So what can I get you?” Laura asks, feeling a little bad for interrupting but the less she hears the better. “Coffee?”

“I was thinking another one of those amazing milkshakes,” Lydia says, her eyes lifting from the menu she was reading.

“Strawberry again?”

Lydia nods, “It was the best strawberry milkshake I’ve had.”

Laura can’t help but smile at that, “I told you it was.”

“You are in fact a wise woman,” Lydia says. “And not at all biased apparently.”

“Not at all,” Laura says, her eyes drifting to where Derek is at one of the tables with a customer. “And I’m definitely not biased when I say that Derek is an amazing guy and deserves to be happy.”

Lydia tilts her head as she studies Laura’s face, “I’m sure that he is.”

Laura nods, “As long as we’re on the same page. I’ll get your shake order in. Did you want anything else?”

“Hash Browns?”

“You got it,” Laura says. “I’ll be back.”

Lydia only stays long enough to eat her food, and gets the rest of her shake to go. She apparently has an interview at the library for a job. Laura wishes her luck and then watches as Derek does the same. At least that’s what she thinks he’s doing. They spend a moment whispering to each other before Lydia smiles and leaves.

It goes on for a few weeks. Lydia gets the job at the library, which Laura is not at all surprised about. She can tell after only talking to Lydia a few times that she’s brilliant, and shares her massive love of books. That just makes things harder. Lydia is brilliant and funny and gorgeous but she’s also not even remotely interested in Laura.

Realistically, Laura should have known that someone would figure out what was going on. No matter how much she’s been trying to hide it. She’d just hoped it would be years from now and something they could laugh about. But her luck just doesn’t run that way.

“What’s going on with you?” Lydia asks, cornering Laura outside the post office one afternoon a month after she’s moved to town.

“What are you talking about?” Laura asks.

“You know,” Lydia says. “Why have you been pushing me closer to Derek?”

“What?” Laura’s really starting to feel confused now. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“No. I mean, Derek’s a great guy, but I’m not interested in him.”

“You’re not? But you stayed…”

Lydia sighs, “Oh Laura, please tell me you’re not that dense.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve read ‘ _What Happened To Goodbye?_ ’ right?” Lydia asks, waiting for Laura to nod before continuing. “McClean was afraid to let herself get close to people in the book, and was always reinventing herself. She knew that either she would have to leave or people would leave her. Until one time she found a reason to want to stay someplace.”

“I remember,” Laura’s feeling like she’s starting to understand but she’s afraid to say anything. She needs to be sure.

“Like McClean, I met someone who made me want to stick around,” Lydia says. “And it wasn’t Derek, Laura. It was _you_. I felt something the moment we met, and I don’t usually go for that whole _love at first sight_ nonsense. I’m not saying that’s what this is. But I was, and still am, drawn to you. I want to get to know you. I want to know about this small town in California and the people here. I want a place where I can live and just be me. I think I can do that here. I _want_ to. And I want you to be part of that, if that’s something you’re interested in.”

“Let’s get fries and a shake,” Laura says suddenly. She meant to say more, something more articulate to let Lydia know they’re on the same page. Of course her mouth had other ideas.

“What?” Lydia asks, giving Laura a startled look as she grabs her arm and starts leading her down the street.

“We’re getting fries and a shake.”

“Laura!” Lydia says, stopping suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk, and pulling Laura along with her. “What on earth are you on about? I just… well I didn’t confess my love. But I told you I liked you and wanted to stay here and be with you and your first thought is of fries and a milkshake?”

Laura sighs and turns to face Lydia, “Yes, because that’s how we met. You came in and ordered fries and a milkshake. So I just…” Laura laughs and runs a hand through her hair. “I don’t know. I’m not usually like this. I’m usually able to be smooth, but you knock me off balance.”

“I do?” Lydia asks, stepping closer to Laura.

Laura takes a deep breath and nods, “You do. And it should be unnerving since we’ve only known each other for such a short amount of time. But I…”

“You what?”

Lydia is standing right in front of her now. So close that all Laura would have to do is reach out and she’d be touching her. So she does. She moves her hands to Lydia’s hips and pulls her closer. “I like it. A lot. I like _you_.”

“Well now that that’s out of the way,” Lydia says, then she’s kissing her. It’s soft and chaste, both fully aware they’re still standing in the middle of the sidewalk. But it still leaves Laura’s head spinning.

When they pull back they’re both grinning. Lydia’s hand comes up to brush the hair out of Laura’s face, “So fries and a shake?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Lydia grabs her hand and starts leading her towards the diner, “You’re brother is going to be insufferable, just so you know. He’s been trying to get me to talk to you for weeks. Not that he can say much.”

“What do you mean?” Laura asks, glancing over at Lydia.

“Oh, you have apparently missed hints,” Lydia says, looking smug. “There’s a cute brunette that comes into the diner around the same time I do for breakfast. Stiles.”

“I know Stiles. Derek always...” Laura says, realization suddenly comes over her and she gasps. “No way! He likes Stiles? That’s why he always insists on waiting on him! I thought they were just friends.”

“They are,” Lydia says, “but Derek wants there to be more. And from the looks of it, so does Stiles.”

“Well we’re just going to have to figure this out, aren't’ we?” Laura asks, already trying to work out how to get her brother and Stiles together.

“Do you think Derek will be upset that I told you?” Lydia asks.

“Probably,” Laura says, “but he’ll get over it. Especially when it ends with him having a date.”

It turns out they don’t have to do anything. They rounds the corner a few minutes later and Laura has to hold in her noise of surprise when her eyes land on her brother. He’s not alone. He’s with Stiles, and the two are making out against the side of the building.

Lydia snickers and uses her grip on Laura’s hand to pull her towards the door, “Come on,” she whispers, “you owe me that milkshake.”

Laura is all too happy to let Lydia lead her inside the diner. They grab a place at the counter and order a shake and some fries to share from Cora, who for once keeps her mouth shut. She just smirks and takes their order. Laura has no doubt she’s going to be hearing about it later but it’s fine. She has a gorgeous, brilliant girl at her side, her family around her, and the perfect strawberry milkshake. She doesn’t know how life could get better.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


End file.
